Zach Banner nearly fell out of football two years ago. But he’s made it back and now is better than ever. On Twitter yesterday, Banner showed off a photo of himself post quarantine, looking ready for a highly important 2020 season.
After falling out of favor as a 4th round pick with the Colts, Banner’s weight got as high as over 400 pounds. Turning his career around, he lost weight to be signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers mid-camp in 2018 and has continued to drop pounds since then. He recently declined to offer the specific weight he’s at but it’s closer to 300 pounds than it’s been for him in seemingly a long time.
He picked a good time to be in fantastic shape. Banner has a real chance to win the starting right tackle battle in 2020. After starting 15 games at RT last year, Matt Feiler may shift over to left guard to replace the retired Ramon Foster. That would love Banner battling with third-year Chukwuma Okorafor for the job.
Banner has become a fan favorite for the silly side of his game. The Twitter antics with Devlin Hodges, the routes that he ran (2020 is the year he catches a pass!), the kneeldown “blocks” we’ve joked about as much as anyone. But Banner has made a serious, incredible journey and is a genuine success story other players should emulate.
Banner admitted he bet on himself after signing a one-year, $1.75 million contract earlier in the offseason. If he can win the job and be a starting RT in this league, he may fulfill Mike Tomlin’s prediction of making him a $50 million tackle.
